Well whatever. I agree with you. I don't think our team is just shitty offensively. I think Ibarra will come around. Didn't he lead the SEC in triples for awhile last year? Breg is definitely in a slump. Stevenson has shown major improvement. Scivique, though slower than molasses going uphill on a cold day, has the potential to develop some serious power and become a good hitter.

People are overreacting, but I do think we have major hitting issues right now. This isn't to say it's permanent - I just think it's something that PM needs to start seriously addressing both publicly and amongst the team.

quote:People are overreacting, but I do think we have major hitting issues right now. This isn't to say it's permanent - I just think it's something that PM needs to start seriously addressing both publicly and amongst the team.

I never said we didn't have hitting issues, but I do think that this is more of a slump than us just being a crappy offensive team. We will be middle of the road when it comes to the offense this year in the SEC which appears to not be that great, but our pitching will carry us to I think at-least a regional host.

quote:But hey, look at UCLA last year...not exactly the best hitting team ever.

Yes, but they could bunt you silly. We don't even play small ball well. Miss St put FOURTEEN on Vandy in five innings, we can't get 14 in TWO Series'. No way the whole team slumps at the same time like this. Something is wrong. Time to stop recruiting the scrappy ball players and get mashers back. I know the bats are a problem, but I see nothing wrong with balls going off the wall instead of over it.

re: Is our hitting issues a slump or a sign of poor offense?(Posted by SofaKingTrill on 3/25/14 at 10:28 pm to redfish99)

^ exactly. I never see them try to work the count. They never try to hit the ball where its pitched/ slap it into the opposite field. Its just a terrible approach at the plate. It has been like this since the season LSU went out and lost the ucla regional.

i really hate the way the game is now with the bats , but the good thing is with our pitching we don't need to be a great hitting team we just need a few hot bats in the line up.....

also i wish they would get a new hitting coach , but what makes people think cpm would get rid of javi .... i mean we been bitching about him for years and its obvious there are better coaches out there but it seems like cpm refuses to acknowledge that javi sucks.....

Kitting really is (or can be) contagious. Once 1 or 2 others besides Stephenson get hot, they'll all start to roll.

However, the hitting issues largely revolve around the fact that Javi's batting "philosophy" is swing at the first pitch no matter it's location. Since he has been hitting coach, the entire team has always been "free swingers". That provides for some very streaky baseball with high highs and deep slumps.

This team just doesn't seem to be as good as last years club. It happens when you lose the hitting power they did from last years squad, and it doesn't get replaced. I do think like everyone else that Javi sucks. There doesn't seem to be any coaching from him at all. The players seem to just do what they want at the plate, without thinking of situations. IMO. And may I had I hate the new bats.

re: Is our hitting issues a slump or a sign of poor offense?(Posted by sicboy on 3/26/14 at 6:59 am to TheFranchise)

I don't get to watch a lot of LSU baseball here in Florida, but last year when the postseason hit and they were on TV a lot more, what I did notice is their situational hitting was pretty crappy. Didn't seem like they knew how to take advantage of a drawn in infield or how to go the opposite way if the outfield is begging you to pull. Was really difficult to string runs together. I attributed that to a slump since I didn't get to watch much, and I haven't seen a game this year at all, but from what I've read (trying to weed through the overreactions), seems like more of the same. Yes, the bats suck, but you have to adjust.

re: Is our hitting issues a slump or a sign of poor offense?(Posted by mlminbtr on 3/26/14 at 7:53 am to tigerbait3488)

quote:We will have issues all season....this is not a slump!

I tend to agree with this. To me, it's has a lot to do with the philosophy, or lack thereof, of how this team approaches hitting. Two examples from Sunday's game against UGA...First, and I would say most glaring, is with bases loaded and 2 outs in extra innings Robertson is at the plate. He has a 2-0 count and our coach calls time out to talk to Kramer...he then proceeds to swing at the very next pitch and hits a lazy fly ball to center field. I don't know what CPM told him, but wouldn't you think the best thing to tell a player batting under .150 that has a 2-0 count is to take until you get 2 strikes especially with the winning run only 90 feet away and a walk would end the game? Several players I know who played for Coach Bertman said that is what Skip would have told him.

Secondly, while I understand McMullen is hitting descent for average he came up in consecutive plate appearances with runners at the corners and 1 out and swung at the first pitch he sees and then grounded into consecutive double plays on the very next pitch to end both innings.

Finally, I truly don't discount the affect that Blake Dean may have had on last years team hitting...he's gone this year and we still have Sanchez. Now Bregman has a year under Sanchez.

All of this may be circumstantial, but there is a pattern here. To me the pattern is reflective of a coaching style that seems to teach...this is the end of the bat you hold, step of to the plate on the side you're most comfortable and swing, swing, swing.

Just as pitching is more than just throwing the ball as hard as you can, there is more to good hitting than just swinging the bat as hard as you can.

re: Is our hitting issues a slump or a sign of poor offense?(Posted by LSUChamp06 on 3/26/14 at 8:31 am to nicholastiger)

It's sad that LSU can't put up more than 2 runs agains Julane. Bregman and Ibarra will get out of these slumps just as Jones and Ross did last year. Need to go to Florida this week with a chip on their shoulders and tear the fricking cover off of the ball.